After the nine greatest days she has ever enjoyed on any tennis court around the world, Harriet Dart’s surprise breakthrough run to the second week of the BNP Paribas Open came to an end in the fourth round on Tuesday with a heavy defeat against a searing Madison Keys, who won their clash 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells.
With her run this week, Dart will leave California as a top 100 player for the first time in her career, rising to become the new British No 2. The 25-year-old’s new ranking, if she can maintain it in the coming months, means she will gain direct entry into the grand slam tournaments and many WTA events as she looks to make a permanent jump on to the WTA tour.
